The present invention relates to building heating and cooling systems, particularly as used in a residence, and performance monitoring apparatuses therefor.
Rather than suddenly and completely fail, the environmental control system which controls the temperature of the interior of a building may experience a performance degradation which may not be immediately sensibly noticed by the occupants of the building, and which may occur during a period over which the performance of the system is continually degrading, eventually leading to a complete failure. Often, building occupants notice the degradation in performance only when they sense that their environment is uncomfortably hot or cold, by which time the environmental control system may have completely failed. At this point, the occupants are left with an inoperable environmental control system, and must contact an appropriate repair facility to investigate the problem and make the appropriate repairs. Also, once the occupants notice that the system is not operating properly, they are left to their own devices to contact an appropriate repair facility to undertake repairs. Therefore, a considerable period of time may pass before the repair personnel are contacted and arrive to address the failure, during which time the occupants may be completely without heat or air conditioning.
In some cases, the gradual degradation of system performance, which may go unnoticed by the occupants, may be indicative of a problem which will eventually result in a sudden system failure or other types of concerns. For example, in some cases, if the refrigerant charge level of an air conditioning system drops to a level which is too low to adequately carry oil back to the compressor for lubrication of some interfacing surfaces therein, excessive wear or seizure of the compressor may result.
Further, many environmental control systems utilize a filter for cleaning the air which is heated or cooled by the environmental control unit. These filters require cleaning or replacement, usually by the occupants, after a period of use. A dirty filter restricts airflow through the unit, which inhibits the system's ability to force air through the ductwork and interchange the air in the building. Often, replacement of the filter is neglected by the user, and the performance of the system consequentially degrades.
A way to identify environmental control system performance degradation before complete system failure occurs is thus highly desirable. Further, a way of automatically contacting the appropriate repair facility, so that personnel at the facility will become aware and initiate repair of the failing system is also desirable. Additionally, a reminder by which the occupants will be notified that the filter should be replaced or at least inspected, the filter having completed its anticipated normal use period, is also highly desirable.